Bridgerton Review: A Dazzling Trip to Regency London

Warning: this review contains spoilers.

Bridgerton invites us to escape the dreary world we currently inhabit and instead slip into the past, back to Regency-era London. We’re greeted with gorgeous scenery, wonderful outfits, and ball after ball where bright young women (and their mothers) vie for a husband in the marriage season.

It’s a magical escape, and once you step into the world of Bridgerton, you’ll never want to leave.

Bridgerton manages to create such a full, immersive world. While there doesn’t necessarily need to be an explanation as to why there are people of color holding high ranking positions in society, the one the series gives explains it in such a way while also highlighting the fragility of the situation.

Bridgerton is a fantastic series, having only a couple of issues (ahem, later Daphne and Simon). It’s something I find myself wanting to watch again, desperately hoping that next year brings us a Season 2. There are a lot more books in the series to cover, so let’s get to it, Netflix!

Now, let’s dive into the world of Bridgerton.

Simon and Daphne’s Love Affair

Daphne and Simon are the highlights of the first half of the season. Their chemistry is electric from the moment they first meet, but as soon as they devise a scheme to fake date (or court, I guess I should say), their chemistry levels up.

Fake dating will always be one of my favorite tropes, especially when the two people aren’t exactly friendly towards one another. We all know how it is going to end, but it doesn’t make the journey any less delightful and swoon-worthy.

Simon and Daphne develop a friendship filled with inside jokes (that book they are writing sounds amazing) and honest conversations. When Simon has to explain masturbating to Daphne… there are no words for that scene other than absolutely amazing. It is such a fantastically hilarious and sensual moment.

Daphne: If you were truly courting me, you’d buy out every florist in town.

Duke: If I were truly courting you, I would not need flowers. I’d need five minutes alone with you in a drawing room.

Naturally, it is expected that they will end up together and get their happily ever after, but I was expecting their wedding day to wrap up the season, not occur halfway through. It’s a nice surprise that allows for other characters to shine during the back half of the season.

After their wedding, things change for Daphne and Simon, as does my opinion of them.

Sure, we get the ridiculously sexy times, but the honeymoon fades rather quickly, and then we’re stuck with neverending emotional whiplash. To say it is annoying would be putting it lightly.

It makes perfect sense that they would each struggle with the lies and deception of the other person, but it could have been done with a bit less of the dramatic back and forth when it comes to their feelings towards one another. I mean you would think that Simon having sex with Daphne on the stairs would signify that everything is okay, but that’s not the case.

Daphne forcing Simon to potentially give her a child is a shocking move that I didn’t think she had in her.

Sure, she’s all for conning society to get what she wants, but it’s still a big leap to jump from that to forcing a man to come inside her. Daphne really will do whatever it takes to secure the life she wants, and I can’t decide how I feel about her afterward.

Daphne forcing Simon into a life he stupidly does not want at that moment is a savage move that probably should have cost her their relationship.

After the incident, the emotional whiplash takes over, and Daphne and Simon become a bit too much for me. They go from the highlight of the episodes to the people I would rather not spend a lot of time with.

It’s insane to think about how many of their problems would be solved if the two of them actually sat down and had a conversation where they said exactly what they were thinking.

Perhaps what is worse about the whiplash is how quick it is over. They have their moment in the rain, and then they are totally okay and having a child and living happily ever after. For as long as their dramatics go on, you would think they would have needed a bit more of a reconciliation.

They are happy and no longer being idiots, and that’s all that matters.

My Dear Readers

Lady Whistledown’s papers are a fantastic way to tie together characters and storylines.

She looms, a bit larger than life, over the inhabitants of the town, all of whom anxiously await her next paper. It’s fascinating to see everyone react to her papers, from the loyal readers there for the scandals and the ones who have been burned by her.

Lady Whistledown brings the perfect amount of drama to this tale, and she and her papers are a fun way to make us feel like we are in the world. We react to the latest paper with the characters and even join Eloise in on the investigation, hoping to uncover Lady Whistledown’s true identity.

Did anyone else figure out Lady Whistledown’s identity before the grand reveal? Admittedly, I did not begin to truly suspect Penelope until Bridgerton Season 1 Episode 7, “Oceans Apart,” when Penelope comes crying to Eloise and then the next morning the Marina news is out.

Eloise is right that the Marina bombshell is the outlier from all the other scandals that Lady Whistledown reports. It’ll be interesting to see if she puts the pieces together during Season 2, or if Penelope will bring Eloise in on the secret.

All I want from Season 2 is more of Penelope and her in her role as Lady Whistledown. A Lady Whistledown origin story would be absolutely fantastic, and this could be done if Eloise learns the truth, or if an episode (or more) could feature Penelope a bit more prominently.

We are treated to flashbacks of Simon’s upbringing during this season, so perhaps Season 2 could feature Penelope/Lady Whistledown flashbacks. Do you want to see more behind the scenes, so to speak, of Penelope as Lady Whistledown?

Lady Whistledown: And yet, there is no ending in sight for this author, who recently became aware of a scheme to unmask her by one worthy opponent, indeed. Perhaps I will come forward one day. Though you must know, dear reader, the decision shall be left entirely up to me.

Throughout Season 1, it’s clear that Penelope deserves the world, so I’m curious to find out how she decided to start writing these society papers, as well as the setup of her organization, especially if something changes due to the close call on Bridgerton Season 1 Episode 8, “After the Rain.”

The Supporting Cast

Bridgerton boasts a big cast. There are a lot of moving parts, and so it’s not surprising that there are some people that fail to hold our attention.

While Penelope and Marina are captivating and delightful (when they are friends), the rest of the Featherington family drama isn’t all that captivating. I don’t even think I can name Penelope’s two sisters, and they fail to leave any kind of impression.

Seeing as how Penelope is Lady Whistledown, it wouldn’t be surprising if we spend more time inside the Featherington household during Season 2, so let’s hope the sisters develop more of a personality or stand out in some way next season. At the very least, I’d be curious to see more of how Penelope’s sisters treat her.

I am definitely curious to find out who will end up inheriting their estate now that Lord Featherington is dead, not that I have any kind of strong feelings towards him at all.

As for the Bridgertons, I wish we saw more of their dynamics as a family. We catch little glimpses of various Bridgerton siblings together.

For instance, Anthony and Daphne failing to make warm milk is a cute brother-sister moment and one that is much needed considering how awful he is at helping Daphne secure a husband — the fact that he can’t tell Nigel is an absolute creep is concerning.

The dinner with Simon and the events surrounding the duel is the most we see of the Bridgerton siblings interacting with each other, and they prove that we desperately need more of those moments.

It would have been much better to stay inside the Bridgerton house instead of following the Bridgerton boys as they go off and have their dalliances. No one cares about the boys when it is clear that the women are the ones who get things done on Bridgerton.

However, perhaps Anthony’s dalliance with Siena and Colin’s artistic escapades are meant to set up their stories in future seasons. Still, it would have been better to scale back on them in order for more of a focus on the family.

Stray Thoughts

• Part of the fun is trying to identify the instrumental cover of a current song. Taylor Swift’s Wildest Dream is used spectacularly well.
• Daphne loves to storm off into a garden despite the fact that it never ends well.
• We can all agree that Nigel is the worst, right?
• It makes me happy that Prince Friedrich didn’t end up marrying that rude Cressida. You deserve better, buddy.
• Anyone else start singing The 10 Duel Commandments during the duel?
• Eloise may be my favorite Bridgerton. Do you have a favorite?
• See you for Season 2 next year. What say you, Netflix?

What did you think of Bridgerton? Are you as dazzled by the series as I am? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Bridgerton is now streaming on Netflix.

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